Nintendo to give Japanese public a chance to play the 3DS

Who needs TGS when you can have the same venue all to yourself?

Words: Ryan_Winterhalter on October 30, 2010

9 Comments

In a video address on Nintendo's Japanese website, company president Satoru Iwata announced a January event that will allow the public to get its hands on the 3DS for the first time.

Iwata said it's impossible to convey the feeling of seeing a 3D image on the handheld without experiencing it for yourself, and that seeing 3DS images on a PC monitor just isn't the same.

Taking advantage of what is a 3-day weekend in Japan, Iwata announced that the event will take place at the Makuhari Messe conference center about an hour away from Tokyo, the same venue as TGS, on January 8, 9, and 10 of next year. The event will be the first time the 3DS will be made playable to the public.

While the DS has become synonymous with gaming in Japan, the high 25,000 yen (about $275) price point on the new machine may be off putting to some consumers. Nintendo hopes that actually experiencing what the system has to offer will help move units... not that the 3DS is in danger of not selling out on day one.

The event is also a chance to get the 3DS brand out in front of those who don't follow the gaming scene closely. Game related events at Makuhari Messe are often a weekend event for families in Tokyo and the surrounding area.

[Source: Iwata's announcement (Japanese)]

Oct 29, 2010

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Platforms:

3DS

Topics:

Nintendo

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rpadTVbsuKenyan5000 - November 1, 2010 4:28 a.m.

I can't wait for this to get announced here in America. But I do think that people are overreacting to the comparison of Japanese and American pricing. The Yen is weak compared to the dollar, and like someone else pointed out the Wii was not based off of a straight exchange rate. I think the pricing in America will easily be over $200, but I don't see it coming too close to $300. Of course I did read somewhere that someone from Nintendo was talking about how the gap between console and handheld prices is deteriorating and should not be considered mandatory anymore. Just because it is a handheld does not mean it is not worth a price closer to that of a console.
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D0CCON - October 30, 2010 7:22 p.m.

Fight spammers! Report moar! Btw, I'm really hoping they do this in America. I am dying to try the 3DS out.
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Embolado - October 30, 2010 4:23 p.m.

Wow these spammers are killing this website. Comments have become so terrible to navigate thru. Couple of suggestions Make the comment list at the bottom of article show more that 10 comments, up the count so we dont have to keep changing pages to view the next set, maybe about 20 or so. The home page of gamesradar has the same flaw, the design needs to show more articles instead of having to got 3 pages back to see an article that was written yesterday. Come on you took soo many good pointers from Desructoid why not follow what they got right. And when is GamesRadar plan on using this new video player? Leaving on a high note, your articles are some of the best on the web so please keep them coming.
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GameManiac - October 30, 2010 4:06 p.m.

Damn it! The Japanese always get the good stuff! (No surprise there though...)
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ninjaemperor - October 30, 2010 5:40 a.m.

Awesome, now they just have to announce these things over here.
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johnthe5th - October 30, 2010 3:53 a.m.

@Nap1400: The Wii was sold at 25,000 Yen in Japan and then $250 in the USA. I don't see why this should be any different.
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phoenix_wings - October 30, 2010 3:28 a.m.

I want a 3DS so bad :(
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Nap1400 - October 30, 2010 1:50 a.m.

Uhh.....$275? The exchange rate right now for 25,000 Yen is $310. That's even worse. Not to mention the cost of it being imported to America.
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awsomemaster - October 30, 2010 1:02 a.m.

boy you guys are really using the forums as a source today aren't you? http://www.gamesradar.com/forums/thread.jspa?threadID=84161&tstart=0 lol :)
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Showing 1-9 of 9 comments

Nintendo to give Japanese public a chance to play the 3DS

Who needs TGS when you can have the same venue all to yourself?

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